


'cause if you're going down i'm going with you

by leocantus



Series: 29 days of February [13]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 11:47:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6517363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leocantus/pseuds/leocantus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt 19: Jealousy</p>
            </blockquote>





	'cause if you're going down i'm going with you

Some days, being back in New York is like coming home. The city is in his blood, is in the formation of his flesh and bone, the rhythm of the city like his own heart beating in his chest, and stepping foot into the city is like being able to breathe a little easier. Some days, being in New York is like finally coming home, and sometimes it's like his nerves are scraped raw, the city having moved on and left him behind, and he's constantly searching for everything he's lost, the cognitive dissonance of things being similar but wrong.

And some days, being back in New York can be slightly frustrating because Steve's not the only one with a history here, and it turns out that the entirety of New York seems to be in love with Sam Wilson.

A slight exaggeration, he knows, if an understandable one, because Sam is one of the best guys he knows so if a city could fall in love with one person, he'd pick Sam too, but Sam has a rich past in this city, planted his roots in Harlem the same way Brooklyn had grown him, and he's quite clearly managed to touch the lives of a great deal of people because as news spreads of him being back home, they can't go anywhere without him being stopped in the streets by well wishers: family, yes, but close friends too. _Really_ close friends. Close friends who hug and kiss Sam, who stand really close to him, their arms around him, who whisper intimate secrets in his ear and make him laugh--

And it sounds bad, put like that, like Steve is, is jealous or something, but it's not like that, not between him and Sam. They're just friends.

But they'll be out getting lunch, just the two of them, Sam reintroducing him to his city, and one of his friend will just happen to be passing by, or they'll be out jogging in the morning--

("Running, Rogers, it's called 'running'."

"Whatever you say, Wilson.")

\--and end up bumping into an old highschool sweetheart, sticking around for a couple of minutes to catch up. And New York is a big place okay, but Sam somehow manages to find someone everywhere they go.

They're actually visiting at Sam's mother's house this time. It's a Sunday, which means that everyone in the area gathers at Darlene's house for Sunday dinner, and seeing as how Sam is coming home for the first time in a while, his mom's making a little celebration of it. Steve's not entirely sure how news managed to get around so quickly, but the house is full to bursting by the time they get there, music and laughter the soundtrack to this reunion, with his family, and a couple of Sam's friends from before, ready to greet him.

Sam has an awful lot of good looking friends. 

He's making conversation with one of Sam's cousins, a chef at her own restaurant, and he's not so rude as to allow his attention to drift, but a portion of his attention is on Sam -- it's always on Sam, he's finding -- and it's happening again, the space by Sam's side constantly filled by people who seem to know Sam very well.

Sam's talking to a beautiful woman with a deep, throaty laugh and a tumble of twisted plaits framing her face, and Sam looks incandescent talking with her, and when Steve glances again he's talking to someone different, a tall man, with one side of his head shaved and dreadlocks scraped back into a loose bun, and Sam's got that crooked smile, the one that means he's with someone that makes him happy. 

(Steve's seen that smile sent his way more than once, and he tells himself that the warm feeling in his stomach is a simple pride in being able to keep his friend happy.)

Steve's talking with a different cousin now, this one a lawyer, and when he looks again, Sam's talking with a different man, shorter than Sam this time, who leans in with a mischievous grin, one hand braced on Sam's chest to plant a soft kiss right on his lips. Steve looks hastily away at that, studiously focused on the woman in front of him as he tries to forget the way Sam had leaned into it, the way their mouths had fit together. 

It's a while before he looks again, and he almost wishes he hadn't because Sam has what looks to be a supermodel at his side, an absolutely stunning woman, and his arm wrapped low around her waist, hand stroking up and down against her side, and she's pressed against him, chest to chest, murmuring low into his ear--

Steve excuses himself to go outside.

Okay, so maybe he's a-- a bit jealous. Possessive, almost greedy, over Sam's attention, like he has any right to be. He takes a deep breath of the cooler night air and perches himself on a step so that he can calm down and get a lid on it, stop acting like he's the only person in Sam's life.

Of course, it's only seconds later that he hears the door slide open again, and he knows, before even glancing over at the person taking a seat next to him, that it's Sam.

"Hey, man," Sam says, leaning his shoulder into Steve's. He doesn't say anything else, doesn't ask questions Steve's not sure he can answer, and Steve kind of loves him for--

Oh hell.

"Hey," Steve says in response, and if his voice cracks a little, he hopes Sam is nice enough not to call him on it.

"You need an extraction? I know they can all be a bit too much in there." He's not looking at Steve as he speaks, sending his offer out into the air in front of them, but that relaxes Steve in stages, gives him the space he needs to pull himself back together.

"Nah, I'm fine, just felt a little closed in for a second. But you should go back in there; it's obvious that everyone here missed you." And then, trying for casual but knowing he's miles away, he says, "And you looked pretty cosy with some of the people in there anyway."

That's neutral enough, right?

Because he's looking forward, trying too hard to look like he's not interested in Sam's answer, he misses the way Sam rolls his eyes affectionately at him. 

"Yeah," Sam says, "A lot of my friends ended up staying in the area, and I haven't been home in a long time so... They're excited to see me, I guess. Especially since I was such a mess the last time I was in New York, you know?"

And Steve does know, because he can admit within the confines on his own mind that he's probably still there, a bit of a mess himself, and now he feels even more of a heel to begrudge Sam his happy reunion.

He summons up a smile from somewhere and says, "Then you should probably get back in there. I'll join you in a bit."

Sam's silent for a moment, which causes Steve to finally look over, and he winces at the expression that he sees on Sam's face, mouth opening to get started on the apologies.

"Man, you're as dumb as you are pretty, Rogers."

"What?" Steve says, or at least tries to, but the word is lost in Sam's mouth, swallowed whole as Sam coaxes Steve to life until he can start giving back a little of what Sam is giving him, tilting his head and leaning his whole body in, alight where Sam is touching him, warm hands cupping his jaw. Sam pulls away for a moment, for what is probably a good reason, but Steve's not very interested, seeking out Sam's mouth again as though there's a chance Sam might come to his senses if Steve stops kissing him.

Eventually Sam eases away, with a series of soft kisses as though to soothe the loss, and Steve's breathing heavily when they part, staring at Sam with wide eyes.

"Took you long enough," Sam says, eyes crinkling with his smile, and Steve can't really be called slow anymore but god he's been embarrassingly slow on the uptake.

His smile comes more easily this time and he says, "What was it you said before? I just do what you do but slower," which gets Sam to laugh, just like he was hoping, and gets him another kiss, which is even better.

"Don't worry; I won't leave you behind."

 

 

**[Some time (much) later]**

"Wait, so that kiss. Were you _trying_ to make me--"

"It's a _really_ good thing you're pretty, Rogers."


End file.
